


Honest Kindness

by lowheeledshoes



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Child Abuse, M/M, it'll still BE there, sho gets the hell out of ergo au, the sho/souji is pretty much kids crushing on each other when it comes up but
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-20
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2018-12-31 21:27:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12141486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lowheeledshoes/pseuds/lowheeledshoes
Summary: Minazuki didn't trust the boy who approached them, despite the apparent concern written on his face upon seeing Sho's injuries and lasting scars. They'd left to escape the cruelty of humans, and he wasn't about to allow Sho to be tricked by another false smile and more lies taking the form of kind words.Sho wanted to trust him, though. And they needed somewhere to hide. Even in escape, they still had pursuers, and they weren't about to let their prized test subject go that easily.So, for the moment at the least, Minazuki didn't step in as Sho followed after the quiet boy who introduced himself as Souji Seta.





	1. Escape

**Author's Note:**

> It's been... awhile since I've written fanfiction. So I can't promise that this is any good, honestly. But the world has a severe lacking of Sho content, and I want my son to find happiness.  
> Also, Shouji, please and thanks.

Sho hated what was happening. Each footstep felt like a betrayal, like he was spitting in the face of the only family he had ever known. Even if the movements were out of his control, if he was taking a backseat in his own body, the guilt piled up within the child as he moved further and further through the labyrinth that was Ergo Research’s main laboratory. With every turn taken, Sho felt ill deep within his very existence. He couldn’t leave. He couldn’t “escape.”  
How could it even be considered escaping if he wanted to be there, if it was his home? Sho didn’t understand the logic, and he deeply didn't want to.  
Even urging desperately for the one in control at the time to stop, to turn back, apologize for the attempted escape, to make everything go back to normal, didn’t work. Sho wasn't being listened to, not even when his pleas became near screams, his voice echoing in their shared mind with broken determination.  
_We could still apologize! We just need to turn around, and go back to our room, and explain to Dad-_  
Until that point, there had been only silence answering his frantic words. It was the mention of his father, though, that finally gained a response from his counterpart, who interrupted the pleas with a cold whisper.  
“Even if I agreed to your plan, that man would not listen to anything I have to say. After yesterday, it is likely his mind has already been made up on what he is to do next.”  
If Sho had had control over their body in that moment, he would have been staring craters into the floor. For a moment, he was silent, before responding hesitantly, his thoughts reaching the other in an uncharacteristically soft tone.   
_… Yesterday was really bad, Minazuki. We should be punished. I don’t care what Dad does if he’s not mad anymore afterwards._  
Minazuki could feel his stomach twist listening to the child. He didn’t care what that monstrous excuse of a man did to him? That attitude was exactly why he had to get Sho out of that place immediately. It wasn’t a place for a young boy to grow up. It wasn’t a place for anyone to live, honestly. Ergo Research was cruel, it was evil, and Minazuki wasn’t going to let them continue to hurt Sho.  
He didn’t have any time to hesitate. Not after the incident the day before.  
“Considering how much of a disruption I’ve been to their studies, I doubt that there would be an afterwards for me. And I can’t allow them, him, to continue to use you.”  
_What… What does that mean? I know you did try to…_  
The words ‘kill Dad’ didn’t even make it to his mental communications with Minazuki, but the truth behind them still hung in the air, making the atmosphere around their singular, running form heavy as they continued to weave through the seemingly endless hallways, a blade held tightly in each of their small hands.  
_… But he wouldn’t do anything to you! You have Tsukiyomi! How would that even work? And he does car-_  
“Don’t finish that sentence, Sho.”  
The voice used to interrupt him was cold, even more so than Minazuki’s usual chilled tone, and forceful. Sho’s thoughts silenced immediately, his presence retreating into the corners of their mind to avoid the anger that now radiated throughout his alter.   
The fear hurt the more serious of the two. He wasn’t there to scare Sho, he only wanted what was best for the boy. It just happened to be immensely difficult to communicate what he needed to a child who never knew anything besides the current life he led.   
A life that Minazuki himself had shattered the day before. There was no way to go back after their prized experiment rebelled to the point of trying to kill the head researcher. Even if whatever they did to get rid of himself worked, there was no way they would treat Sho the same afterwards. The unwanted behavior still came from within him, and they would do their best to quell the spirit to insure it would never happen again.  
They didn’t want a young boy with a fiery personality, a bright smile, and a loyal heart. He didn’t want the most loving son he could ever hope for. All the monsters at Ergo, especially him, just wanted a weapon.   
If only he could make Sho realize that.  
Sighing, Minazuki actually stopped his motions as he turned a corner, blue eyes darting from behind long strands of red hair to see if there were any cameras or, far worse, guards in the vicinity. After deciding the spot was safe for the moment, he leaned against the wall, prepared to do his best to explain his thoughts.  
“Sho, I was not angry at you. The fact that you believe that drivel is all that upset me. It is not your fault.”  
Hesitantly, the inner voice reached out once more. He was quiet, far too quiet for Minazuki to be comfortable, but it was a start. Sho was listening. That was all he could hope for.   
_… But Dad…_  
Minazuki truly did not wish to hurt Sho.  
“Likely will not find me useful enough to be worth keeping around any longer. Most do not take attempts at their lives lightly, so it is understandable, even if he deserved it to begin with. If I am to protect you, it has to be now, and you have to get out of here.”  
But if the truth was to hurt him, then so be it. Pain in freedom would be better for the boy than a blissful lie in a life owned by a monster.  
 _I… don’t wanna leave Dad…_  
“... I know. But he will never allow you to have anything resembling a normal life. I cannot let this continue.”  
The silence that acted as Sho’s reply rang out around their form for a moment before Minazuki shifted from his spot on the wall and began to move once more, no longer feeling the urgent resistance from within that had fought against every movement until that moment.  
Which was truly a blessing, since it was only mere seconds later that Minazuki needed every bit of energy available to him to run.  
“There he is!”  
Minazuki didn’t have the luxury to feel a cold rush of terror at the rough voice at the end of the hallway. Instead, as soon as the first syllable rang out, he ran in the opposite direction, ignoring the shouts that chased after him.   
Sweat dripped down his face as he skidded around the corner, the heavy footfalls of guards loudly echoing in the hallway and reminding him that there was no time to rest.  
And that, somehow, he had messed up. Minazuki had made sure they were safe, they couldn’t have been found that soon after having avoided their pursuers, there were so many twists in the hallways that it should have taken much longer to find their location-  
 _I think Dad mentioned awhile ago that they had more secret… y cameras. After I asked if people could sneak in and take me away from him. It was before I had you._  
The explanation was unexpected. Even if he was no longer fighting against it, Minazuki didn’t think that Sho would be willing to actually assist in his escape, even if only by providing information. It was beyond frustrating, though, that he had not realized it to begin with. Of course there would be cameras besides the pathetically obvious ones hanging from the ceiling. Ergo was a secret organization, their security had to be the best of the best to even function.   
“Get back here, you brat!”  
There truly wasn’t time to think about that, though. The mistake had already been made, and he had to insure it would not ruin all his efforts despite that.   
A task that became increasingly more difficult with every passing moment.   
Halfway down the hall Minazuki was racing through, there was a connection to another pathway. As was expected of a situation that refused to go correctly, he could see the forms of more of the lab’s goons coming from the adjacent hall as he approached the intersection, leaving him a single choice.  
Just running wasn’t going to work, apparently. That was fine. He had their swords in case that would be the case. And he wasn’t about to complain about taking down those who would hurt Sho.  
The swipes of the blades occured so quickly that the men who reached out to take hold of the boy didn’t even realize what had happened until they were laying on the ground, deep cuts spurting blood from their chests. Minazuki moved forwards swiftly, not looking back at the forms he fell himself, eyes narrowed in determination. If there were more people coming after them, they had to be close.  
There had to be a way out of this hell hole somewhere, and he was going to find it. He was almost there, and when he reached his goal Sho could finally be safe. That was all he wanted.  
The door at the end of the hallway had a window, through which Minazuki could see a staircase from even a few yards away.  
A staircase going up. Logically, the labs would be underground, hidden. This was likely the correct path to take.   
There wasn’t an instant of hesitation when Minazuki grabbed the door knob, or when he pulled open the door itself. It wasn’t until he took his first into the stairwell that an internal voice stopped him.  
I can hear… footsteps behind you.  
Sho’s voice sounded meek again. The hesitation and hurt was evident in each word. Minazuki could guess who it was behind him before the man even spoke, before he turned towards him with a hateful scowl on his face and his blood-soaked swords raised.  
“Are you sure you’d like to do that, Minazuki-kun?”  
He could feel his entire body shaking, his hands tightening around the handles of his weapons, as his eyes rose to meet the gaze of the very man that was to blame for Sho’s current life. Hatred seeped from Minazuki’s glare, contrasting the concern Ikutsuki chose to portray.  
It was a lie. Everything the man did was a lie. The compliments after tests, the caring words before Sho went to sleep, the claims that he saw the child as his son. Minazuki knew that, and Ikutsuki himself knew that.   
And deep down, Sho probably did too.  
That didn’t stop him from resisting once more as soon as Ikutsuki spoke, though, much more fiercely than before. Minazuki’s control over their body, usually simple to maintain, wavered enough for a single step to be taken towards their supposed father-figure.   
_Dad’s not angry, we can still fix this, we need to go back, we need to stop now, **please Minazuki I don’t wanna leave-**_  
Sho’s words were frantic, desperate, louder than anything he had said before. It was pitiful, how much simply seeing Ikutsuki could affect Sho’s psyche.  
It made Minazuki furious. This was exactly why the boy had to leave, and soon. It took all his willpower to not attempt a repeat of the day before just at the sight of Ikutsuki, but he could not risk losing the chance to escape for his own personal satisfaction. If the man himself was showing up in front of the dangerous escaped subject, that must have meant he was past being close.   
The outside world was probably up those stairs. And it didn’t look like there was a plan to stop him from reaching it besides the emotional pull of Ikutsuki.  
“Of course I am. Staying here is hardly an option.”   
Watching Ikutsuki carefully, Minazuki took back the step Sho had managed to get forwards, inching towards the stairs as he spoke. Even then, he had to ignore the screams that only he could hear.  
 ** _PLEASE MINAZUKI I CAN’T LEAVE DAD I CAN’T DO IT I BELONG HERE PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME LEAVE PLEASE PLEASE_**  
“Why would that be so? There is nowhere else Sho-kun could live. Why do you want to force him to be homeless when he could stay here, at home?”  
Minazuki could tell he was being baited. He wouldn't be tricked into giving in, or worse, attacking Ikutsuki, no matter how much he wanted to in that moment. He made another movement towards the first step.  
“This is hardly a home. Sho has never had a true home. He needs to leave if he is ever to have a chance at one.”  
 ** _PLEASE MINAZUKI LET ME STAY I DON’T WANNA GO PLEASE_**  
“Does he feel that way?”  
 ** _NO I DON’T DAD I DON’T WANNA GO_**  
“... Considering your brainwashing techniques, I’m afraid that is hardly relevant.”  
He didn’t like how amused Ikutsuki seemed when he laughed at his words.  
“Brainwashing? I simply treated my son as such. Is that such an issue, Minazuki-kun?”  
There was probably someone waiting nearby ready for him to rush at Ikutsuki, prepared to grab his small form and restrain him due to an emotional mistake.  
He couldn’t give in, no matter how much he wanted to attack with each disgusting claim. He had to save Sho.  
“A father would not use his child as a tool. You’re a disgusting man, Ikutsuki. I will not allow Sho to spend another moment under your influence.”  
For a brief moment, the mask of the concerned adult, the loving father who just wanted his son to return to his side, broke. Minazuki could see the snarl, the cold eyes, the truth that was usually hidden.  
That was the moment he needed to turn and dash for the stairs, bounding up them with speed he had never attempted outside of tests and training.  
“Idiots! Capture him!”  
The shouts from below were barely audible over his blood pumping in his eardrums, his focus silencing even the incomprehensible cries from within.  
It took searing pain on his leg to stop him for even an instant.  
Blinking slowly, Minazuki looked down at the limb in confusion, his balance only kept by his left hand keeping a loose hold on the railing besides the sword it also held. The blood seeping in his pants leg was obvious even before the cause was.  
Sho had stopped trying to talk to him. The pain would likely affect him too, even if less so. He would know what happened, and what it likely meant.  
It was just a graze, but the guards had shot at them under direct orders. Safe capture hardly seemed like a concern.  
The moment Minazuki froze didn’t last long. As soon as the full situation sunk in, he didn’t hesitate to dash up the last few steps and barrel through the doorway, the sounds desperate footsteps following after him being drowned out by the noises of the real, outside world, where it was simple for him to slip into the shadows and out of Ergo’s, and Ikutsuki’s, sight.  
Sho made no move to stop him as they ran from the building and into the bustling city surrounding it.


	2. Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No amount of knowledge could prepare Minazuki for the world outside Ergo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this... took longer than i intended. hopefully it between chapters moving forward.

Minazuki knew more about the world than Sho did. This was not an insult; it was simply fact. He had asked the child in the past if he had memories from before the laboratory, and was met with very little information. There were cold, wet nights, a singular warm hand, and a fear that shaped a toddler’s very existence.

But then there was Ergo. And to Sho, those were the only two existences that could possibly exist. While beyond depressing, it was not surprising that he would prefer the life where, in the least, he had a bed and something that vaguely resembled food. Even if it came with near daily deadly battles, no contact with anyone besides his supposed adoptive father, and being treated more as a weapon than a young boy.

( _ Who did the hand belong to? Did they care for you? _

“I dunno. I don’t remember anythin’ else about them.”

And that was that.)

Somehow, despite being born from within Sho, Minazuki knew far more. He would often mention concepts that completely baffled his host, leading to long explanations that ended with little understanding.

Minazuki knew what the sun was. Even Sho did, frankly, though he had no idea what it could possibly look like. Minazuki did know what it was meant to look like. He also knew that it was a star, that the Earth orbited around it, and that it provided heat for the entire planet.

Knowing what it looked like and random facts about it was apparently not enough for him to be ready to actually see the sun.

It was brighter outside the facilities than any prior knowledge could have prepared him for. There didn’t seem to be a single square inch of ground not bathing in the light, a light that was brighter and warmer than the synthetic lights that had defined his entire existence.

It was blinding and, for only an instant, it froze him in his spot. Outside the building were sights that he knew the name of at most. Grass grew in patches near the entrance to the laboratory, and trees reached towards the sky around them. It was foreign, it was strange, and his base instincts shouted that it was dangerous.

It was not Sho that almost turned their shared body back towards the doorway they had just risked so much to pass through. It was Minazuki’s very being telling him that there was no way they could possibly survive in such a new environment. 

It was only logic that made that moment, a second long at most, end with him propelling their form forward, barreling towards a darkened alley that was close enough to provide hidden shelter in seconds.

Survival here would be difficult, for both himself and the child he was so desperate to protect. However, survival where they came from would be impossible on a long-term scale. This was a risk that was well worth the possible rewards.

_ … Bye Dad. _

And the definite heartbreak in hearing the soft voice from within as the only building either Sho or Minazuki had ever known disappeared behind them.

~~~

As soon as the door shut closed behind Minazuki, Ikutsuki knew that there would be no use literally running after him. Even injured, the boy had physical capabilities far above the average, or even very talented, human. The only hope they would have had at containing him would have been to overpower him before there was an available escape route.

If the task was to outrun them in an area with limitless directions to go and countless places to hide, there was no way they could win.

So, when the guards made a movement to follow after the child, he lifted a hand to motion them to stop.

“There’s no use,” despite being convinced of what he was saying, the frustration and anger in his voice was nearly tangible. “He’s much more agile than any of you. There are more efficient ways to get him back than blindly chasing him.”

His footsteps were curt as he turned away from the staircase, heading back towards his main office, mind racing all the while. It was Minazuki who had escaped, when it came down to it. Ikutsuki was planning on getting rid of him anyway. Unfortunately, he took Sho right along with him, but there was a real possibility that the child would want to return to the lab even now.

Sho didn’t know anything besides this life, after all. He had always been unquestionably loyal. It was just Minazuki who was the issue. And Minazuki couldn’t keep control of a body that wasn’t even his forever.

He couldn’t just depend on Sho getting homesick, though.

“Contact the authorities immediately,” Ikutsuki’s demanding tone did not waver even as the guards looked towards him as if he had lost his mind.

“Sir, how would they help?” The one who eventually spoke up addressed him in a wavering voice, eyes wide and searching for some reasonable answer.

“Report a missing child, you idiot,” His usual calm air was slipping away as the weight of the situation was recognized, resulting in his words being shouted with harsh anger. He had been  _ so close  _ with this experiment. And letting this subject escape could mean more than just the failure of Project Puppetmaster. 

Sho could possibly unravel the entire organization, if they didn’t nip this rebellion at the bud.

“I have some files set aside that claim that I have proper custody over Sho. With those, and a claim that he is nothing but a delusional, unhealthy child, should be enough for them to give the subject back to me as soon as they inevitably find him.”

He didn’t wait to watch understanding wash over the near mindless thug, only hearing him run off in another direction as he continued forwards himself. It did not take long to reach his office at his brisk pace, but impatience colored his motions as Ikutsuki snatched up his phone, dialing a number instinctively.

The police would attempt to find a lost child normally, yes, but there was ways to guarantee their best work.

The other end picked up quickly. 

“Mister Kirijo, I hate to bother you,” False concern bled into his voice, suddenly softer and friendly, as he spoke into the receiver. “But I’m amidst a personal emergency.” 

~~~

Sho could barely breath when he finally was given back control over his body.

Minazuki had been running for hours, and he could barely bring himself to say more than the occasional individual word the entire time. 

Part of his silence had simply been due to complete and utter shock. Every single moment since Minazuki had propelled their body through the doorway was a completely new experience. Even with his senses dulled, not being in control of them to begin with, he could feel a warmth that was completely different than the internal fevers and overheating body that defined anything besides a regulated cool. 

His sight was limited to what Minazuki saw, but even with just that he would see more colors within a single minute than he had in living memory. There was so much more than the pale whites and greys of the labs, colors only interrupted by blood, usually his own, as bright a red as his own fiery hair. 

He’d only gotten glances of green before, the color present in the occasional pill casing and little more. As his form ran through the streets, the color surrounded them. The sky was a lighter blue than he knew existed. There was so much to see, he had almost wished that Minazuki would just stop for a moment and just look around.

He wouldn’t say that, though. He was too scared to vocalize anything, really, even if he couldn’t  _ technically _ speak at the time. 

Dad would be mad. And if he mentioned this definite fact to Minazuki, then Minazuki would be mad. Sho didn’t like being caught between the only two people he cared about, or even knew. If he could choose, life would continue just as it had. They were together, and they were fine.

Except that Minazuki didn’t think so. And Dad let the guards shoot him.

So when Sho was forced back into control, Minazuki clearly exhausted from the physical labor it took to take them from the large lab building to an alleyway miles and miles away draining him in both mind and body, he made no movement from the spot he was left in. His breath was forced and labored, the physical wear still affecting him along with his growing panic making every ounce of pain feel stronger than it probably was.

The leg was agonizing in that moment. 

“Augh!” The scream that was ripped from his vocal cords as soon as there was enough air in his lungs to fuel it was completely involuntary. 

_ Sho! You have to be quiet! _

Minazuki was clearly straining himself to communicate at all, but his voice was frantic enough to communicate that he found that effort completely necessary. Sho, despite physically shaking in pain, immediately bit down on his bottom lip to stop another sound from leaving his mouth, nodding quickly.

That nodding was a continuous movement, and frankly a distraction, until Minazuki spoke once more.

_ It’s going to be night within a few hours… _

“... Yeah, so what?”

Sho’s confusion at the importance of this was enough to keep him focused on that for the moment. Night just meant sleep. Why would it matter if sleep was so far from then to be measured in hours?

_ That is less time than you think, Sho. And night is going to be dangerous. _

A blush spread across the boy’s cheeks as he realized that he was so transparent in his confusion that voicing his thoughts wasn’t even needed. Embarrassment, though, didn’t make him understand any more.

“How can night be dangerous?”

_ You’ll be defenseless while sleeping. That bastard’s men aren’t even the biggest concern. Any common criminal could see a youth sleeping as a perfect target. _

“... Oh.”

Minazuki had managed to largely avoid people while running, so it hadn’t truly sunk in yet that there were others that could interact with him at all. He had only ever spoken with Minazuki and Dad, after all.

Sometimes there were other people, but they weren’t allowed to talk to him. Dad said so.

Dad wasn’t here to tell everyone they weren’t allowed to speak, or hurt, him outside of the few rooms that had been his whole world before that very morning.

“What am supposed to do then? I’m injured, I can’t stay up all night.”

_ … Try to find a place to hide. _

“That’s dumb!”

As Sho sat against the outside of the nearest building, his knees pulled up to his chin, he continued to argue the point with Minazuki, the sun sinking lower and lower in the sky.


End file.
